Important Notice!!

With what was to be the end of spring break, we are hearing that the two week break will be extended for an extended period of time.

In hopes of assisting the Delta School Board we want to share the following email we received from Delta Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Doug Sheppard.

Please follow their advice and if any questions follow the link on the page listed below.

March 27 Dear Parents/Guardians,

Even though it has been a Spring Break like no other, I do hope that you and your family have been able to rest, relax and enjoy spending time together. 

By now, I’m sure you are aware that in-person instruction has been suspended in schools across the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The purpose of this email is to let you know what you and your children can expect from your school over the coming weeks. 

Since this news was announced on March 17, district staff have been making plans to support the delivery of ongoing learning opportunities for students based on guidance provided by the Ministry of Education. 

These plans are guided by the following four principles listed in order of priority: 

1. Maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students, families and employees. 
2. Provide the services needed to support children of our essential workers. 
3. Support vulnerable students who may need special assistance. 
4. Provide continuity of educational opportunities for all students. 

On Monday, March 30, our teachers will return to work, albeit remotely for the vast majority of them. 

It is going to take a while to assess what is needed to provide learning opportunities to students, and to get everything ready and in place. 

We appreciate your continued patience and understanding at this time. 

We encourage you to read the Ministry of Education’s Frequently Asked Questions on Continuity of Learning as it provides answers to many of the questions you are likely to have. What you can expect next week: 

Teachers will be contacting students before the end of next week (April 3). 

This will enable them to check in with students, inquire about the resources they have and/or need, determine any additional supports required for children with complex learning needs, and identify whether children have parents who work in an essential service as defined by the Provincial Government.  

The Ministry and school district are working on providing online resources for parents and students to access. Learning opportunities for students: 

Starting the week of April 6 and going forward, your children will have the resources and contacts needed to proceed with learning from home. 

More detail will be provided by your child’s school in the coming days. 

• Learning opportunities will be introduced gradually – we are acutely aware of the need to avoid overloading students or their parents at this already stressful time. In addition, opportunities for learning in this new environment will be very different than before, and it is going to take time to plan appropriately for this new delivery model. 
• The outlook for each student will be different depending on the grade they are in and the number of classes they are taking. 
• We are committed to ensuring that whatever we provide is fully accessible to all of our students. 

Access to schools: 

• Please keep your children at home. 
• If you have school-aged children and are a healthcare/health services worker as defined by the provincial government trying to make a decision between working or staying with your children, please email ESW@deltasd.bc.ca with your contact information and immediate needs for next week. Someone from the school district will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss next steps. 
• We will be providing scheduled access for students who need to retrieve school supplies or personal belongings. 

Please await further information from your school. It is important that as few people as possible are in our schools to enable us to comply with the Provincial Health Officer’s direction on physical distancing and to maintain the increased cleanliness standards required so that we can help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. 

As a result, there will be very few staff on site which limits our ability to supervise students and keep them safe.

We recognize that this may be an incredibly stressful time for families, and it may be difficult for students to focus on learning. 

Please try to provide as much of a sense of calm and normalcy for your children as you are able, as it will help to reduce their anxiety. 

While the suspension of in-person classroom learning continues, please know that we will provide resources and activities for you to access and use in a manner that best fits your family’s needs. 

In addition, we will continue to post regular updates to the district website thanks to the help of the professionals from bestwebsitehosting.ca. 

For general inquiries, please email us at info@deltasd.bc.ca. We encourage you to stay healthy and safe. 

Sincerely,  Doug Sheppard, Superintendent of Schools